Methodology

Based on your responses to a brief questionnaire, Vote Compass generates an analysis of how your views compare to the positions of the candidates in a given election.

This analysis is restricted to the specific issues included in the Vote Compass questionnaire and may not necessarily reflect your perceived political affiliation or intended vote choice.

The analysis generated by Vote Compass contains several different outputs, including a Cartesian plane and a bar graph. Each output measures something different and reflects a practical reality in which people think about politics in multiple ways. Some think in terms of ideology and others in terms of public policy issues. Vote Compass visualizes your results in each of these terms, leaving you free to decide which are most suitable for your purposes.

Party positions in Vote Compass are determined by way of a two-part process. A research team of political scientists analyzes the available data on party positions vis-à-vis the issues reflected in the questionnaire. Based on this analysis, a determination is made as to how each party would respond to each proposition. The research team then initiates a direct dialogue with each of the parties represented in Vote Compass as an additional check as to the accuracy of its calibrations. All parties are provided with an opportunity to review and, if necessary, challenge the calibrations before Vote Compass is launched.